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Department of Agriculture reports that half a medium grapefruit has just 41 calories. In addition to being high in vitamins and minerals, grapefruit is also “high in fiber and low in calories,” Weiler says. Women over the age of 19 are advised to consume 2,600 milligrams of potassium. (A medium-sized banana has a little over 400 milligrams.) Men over the age of 19 are advised to consume 3,400 milligrams of potassium daily. The USDA reports that a small grapefruit (about 200 grams) contains 278 milligrams of potassium. Though we usually think about eating more bananas when trying to increase the level of potassium in our diet, many foods offer this vital nutrient.
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This electrolyte helps ensure proper kidney and heart function, muscle contraction and nerve transmission. Your body needs potassium for just about everything it does. People aged 14 years and older should consume between 700 and 900 micrograms of vitamin A daily. Half of a medium-sized grapefruit contains 90 micrograms of vitamin A. The NIH reports that it also helps keep the heart, lungs, kidneys and other organs working properly. It also supports the immune system and reproduction. This fat-soluble vitamin is important for maintaining normal vision. Grapefruit is also a good source of vitamin A. “I recommend eating food rich in vitamin C like grapefruit over taking synthetic vitamin C pills, as fruit will have other nutrients to work synergistically with the vitamin C to make the effects more powerful,” says Kate Weiler, a sports nutritionist and co-founder of Drink Simple, a company that makes a line of plant-based beverages.
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Half a medium-sized grapefruit (about 125 grams) contains more than 38 milligrams of vitamin C. The National Institutes of Health Office of Dietary Supplements recommends that women aged 19 years and older should consume 75 milligrams and men aged 19 years and older consume 90 milligrams of vitamin C each day. “One large grapefruit provides 190% of the daily value of vitamin C, which supports your immune system and wound healing,” Goscilo says. This supports your immune system and may even be able to lower your risk of cancer and other chronic disease, such as diabetes and heart disease that have been linked to long-term, systemic inflammation. “Vitamin C is an antioxidant that has anti-inflammatory properties to it,” she says. Gabrielle Mancella, a registered dietitian and corporate wellness dietitian at Orlando Health in Florida, says grapefruit’s key health benefit is its very high concentration of vitamin C. Lots of antioxidants and phytochemicals.
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